Melania Trump jetting to Africa on first major solo trip abroad

Melania Trump plans to visit several African countries in October on her first major solo trip overseas as first lady, she announced in a statement.

Mrs. Trump said she would be focusing on issues affecting children.

“This will be my first time traveling to Africa and I am excited to educate myself on the issues facing children throughout the continent, while also learning about its rich culture and history,” she said in a statement. “We are a global society and I believe it is through open dialogue and the exchanging of ideas that we have a real opportunity to learn from one another.”

The statement confirming Mrs. Trump’s trip abroad was first reported by The Associated Press.

Exact dates for the trip and which African countries she will visit were not announced.

The trip to Africa will be the farthest Mrs. Trump has traveled alone since becoming first lady in January 2017. Her only other solo excursion out of the country was a day trip to Canada where she joined Britain’s Prince Harry for an Olympic-style athletic competition for wounded service members and veterans.

Mrs. Trump also accompanied the president on several international trips, including to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, Brussels, France, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

Most recently, she accompanied the president last month to Helsinki for his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.